About Twin Tip Skis

Twin tip skis are distinguished by their upturned tip and tail which give them a distinct performance and feel. Twin tip skis garnished great popularity with park and pipe skiers as they offer a catch free ride while skiing switch. Although they are widely used in the park and pipe there are also all mountain twin tip skis and powder twins to be used in all mountain and in backcountry areas.

Types of twin tip skis

When it comes to what twin tip skis you should consider, it is important to know that there are many different types within this small niche of skis. Many twin tip skis aren't much wider or structurally different in sidecut from most other All Mountain skis. These will ski very much like an all mountain ski but with the added benefits of a quicker release in the moguls and extra surface area for better flotation in soft snow.

Some twin tip skis are designed specifically for skiing in the terrain park. These skis generally have a symmetrical or nearly symmetrical sidecut which allows the ski to ride just as well when switch (backward) as forward.

Within the general heading of Twin Tip Skis, you will also find Powder Twins. Many believe that Powder Twins are only for the deep snow, which isn't necessarily wrong. Many of these style skis are deep snow specific. However it isn't the case for all because of the sidecut of today's Powder skis allow most to be used all mountain. Twin tip skis that are as wide as 100mm at the waist are phenomenal as All Mountain/Powder skis. They will turn and hold well on groomed snow, remain super stable at high speeds, and when new snow falls you won't struggle to stay afloat, or have to waste time in the rental shop. Instead, you'll be outside enjoying the fresh powder like you never thought you could.

Sizing twin tip skis

Sizing for a standard ski is going to differ from sizing twin tip skis as the styles differ in design and shape. Twin tip skis are turned up in the tip and tail which not only changes the performance but will shorten the contact points of the skis. This means that you can size a twin tip ski a bit longer than you would a normal all mountain set of skis. The amount of up-sizing you do is dependent on the exact type of twin tip ski but generally you will find yourself sizing up roughly 5cm from normal. For a full write up of how to size twin tip skis please see our sizing guide for twin tip skis.

Twin tip skis bindings

Twin tip skis are wider in the waist of the ski which is where the bindings get mounted. With this being wider you are going to need a wider brake which is the piece of the ski binding which goes down when you pop your boots out to stop the skis from going down the hill by themselves. There are wide brake ski bindings which are made specifically to be used on twin tip skis which are wider in the waist. These bindings also offer performance characteristics which cater to the type of skiing most do on twin tips by offering things like shock absorption and more durable materials to deal with the constant abuse put on the skis. Wide brakes can be purchases separately as well so you can adapt your existing ski bindings to work with twin tip skis.